I sat on the floor, legs crossed. Eyes glued.
I was not only captivated by the world of make believe, but I was comforted by how it made me feel. When I watched, I felt special. Worthy, just as I was. I had value, simply for being me.
And I knew then, that if I was special, and had an inherent worthiness just for being me, then other people had an inherent worthiness just for being them.
Sometimes I choke up a little, thinking about Mister Rogers. Maybe that’s weird, I don’t know. But I do know he helped me become the woman I am, who started a company that represents everything I believe in. He had something to do with that.
My favorite episodes were when we got to peek behind the scenes to see how crayons or Hershey Kisses were made. We could see, with our own eyes, that there were actual, real people invested in the things I loved most. I could feel their joy and sense the pride in their craft.
How can you not love Mister Rogers? He brought out the best in everyone. By sharing their story, I saw first hand how beautiful humanity is baked-in to every experience.
As I grew up, like all of us, I began to see that not all sides of humanity are beautiful. I studied human trafficking in Thailand and saw, first hand, what happens when people’s inherent human worthiness isn’t valued. I saw the pain and soul crushing effects of exploitation. It wakes you up to a sobering reality - what we consume, the things we don’t even give a second thought about consuming - has real and lasting effects on the quality of life of each individual person who helped create it. This ripples across entire villages and communities.
What if we buy from brands that take shortcuts, exploit people, harm the environment, and keep consumers in the dark? Every purchase we make is intrinsically connected to the well-being of others. It’s a finger, pushing into the clay that molds humanity.
This isn’t about charity. It’s about responsibility. And if looking through the right lens, every responsibility is an opportunity to do the right thing. To empower not just our own community, but communities on the other side of the world.
So as I sat on the floor, legs crossed, eyes glued - captivated by the make believe neighborhood Mister Rogers created for me - I was also shown the true power of kindness, and compassion.
That I am incredibly special. And so are you.
And so is everyone else in the whole, wide world.
This is the story, the inspiration, behind our mini, but mighty new bag - Roger. Sapahn is an ethical fashion brand that has empowered 300+ artisans throughout Thailand since 2010. We create meaningful, purposeful fair trade opportunities in their village. Our artisan-led approach and commitment to quality enable our customers to know that their purchase is making a positive difference in the well being of real, beautiful human beings world wide.
He’s available now in limited supply. In true Mister Rogers form, for each Roger sold we are gifting 100 meals to local food banks through Feeding America.
So what do you say we make the most of this beautiful day? Since we’re together we might as well say - would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be -
my neighbor?
